Los Angeles Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon grabbed and attempted to hit a fan in a heated altercation Thursday following the team's Opening Day road loss to the Oakland Athletics.
Angels star Anthony Rendon -- a former World Series champion -- was involved in a heated confrontation with an A's supporter following L.A.'s loss on Thursday ... one where he grabbed the fan and then attempted to take a swipe at the guy's face. https://t.co/HEiTAzVWdf
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) March 31, 2023
Here's a video of Anthony Rendon grabbing a fan's clothing, cursing at him, then attempting to hit him.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) March 31, 2023
He accused the fan of calling him a "bitch."
The Angels said they have no comment, but noted that Rendon will be available to comment on it tomorrow before the game. https://t.co/DNX5ZquTBm
The Angels fell to the host A’s, 2-1, despite a brilliant pitching performance from Shohei Ohtani, who allowed no runs on just two hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts across six innings. Rendon finished the day 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
Per the TMZ Sports report, the confrontation happened "just seconds" after the game ended.
"The L.A. third baseman was so upset over it, he locked his hand around the guy's tee and pulled him down to the railing," the report said. "Rendon then let go of the man but made a clear attempt to hit the guy in the face after he released the shirt."
TMZ Sports reported that the Oakland Police Department said Friday that they weren't investigating the event because "no victim(s) reached out" on the incident.
The 32-year-old two-time Silver Slugger Award winner had a great seven-year run with the Washington Nationals from 2013-19, making an NL All-Star team and finishing in the top-10 of the league's MVP voting three times. Rendon's best season of his career was in 2019 when he led the league in doubles (44) and RBI (126) while finishing third in the NL MVP voting and helping the Nationals win the World Series.
Rendon then signed a seven-year, $245 million deal with the Angels in the offseason going into the pandemic-shortened campaign in 2020 and his tenure out west has been a disaster thus far. He's battled numerous injuries and has been limited to only 158 games in his four seasons with the club.
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